Page 101 of Faking It with the Firefighter

My whole body felt cold, all the way down to my marrow. I shook my head. “Sometimes, love isn’t enough.”

Charlie and Sophiestayed behind after the guys left. Since Rex took his duffel bag with him, we smothered the fire and went back inside. Sophie brought out the wine, and we settled in the living room under some blankets.

I sipped my Pinot Grigio from the rim. “Rex said he loved me.”

Sophie and Charlie share a look. “We heard him.”

“You did?”

“I’m pretty sure the whole neighborhood heard his declaration. But did you?” Charlie asked.

“Look, Charlie, just because you got the fairytale ending, doesn’t mean that’s what’s happening to me.”

“Why not? You heard him. He says he didn’t kiss the bride from hell, and he wants to be with you,” Sophie added. Her brows drew together. “You have to admit, it was pretty romantic.”

“Romance isn’t real.” It felt just as fake as our little weddingdate charade. After what I’d been through, how could I trust happy endings? I’d been burned so badly the scars still hurt.

Sophie filled her own glass. “So, he’s not perfect. And neither are you. And neither am I or Charlie,” she continued.

“Hey, how’d I get roped into this?” Charlie said.

“The point is that we all make bad calls sometimes. None of us is perfect. Except for you, baby Winston.” Sophie petted his little escapist head, and he curled up in her lap, leaving mine cold.

“Why are you on his side?” I asked, feeling my friend’s support slipping away. “If you heard his declaration, then you heard me say that sometimes love isn’t enough.”

Charlie sighed. “No. But it’s the foundation and the structure. It’s what makes life worth living.”

“And I have love. I love you guys. I love Winston. I love my job. That’s enough for me.” I took another swig of wine, but now it tasted sour. It tasted like a lie.

Was it enough for me? I’d tasted something different with Rex. Bliss. Happiness. The feeling of being accepted, just for who I was.

My friends exchanged a glance. Sophie petted Winston with both hands, but her eyes were on me. “You said you’re in love with him and he’s in love with you. And love means accepting someone for who they are—even if they mess up.”

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. Here I was, crying over not being loved for the perfectly imperfect woman I was…all while rejecting Rex for the same reason. He hadn’t kissed Blair. Sure, he hadn’t stood up for me in front of Gabe, but he’d been worried about his brother. The whole wedding weekend had been a mess. Could I hold that against him? Was it worth throwing everything away?

Rex had messed up—something I did regularly. I was treating him exactly the way I hated to be treated. Like he could just be tossed aside because of a few mistakes. That didn’t feel right or good.

But—

Voice small, I asked, “What if I open my heart to him and he hurts me anyway?”

Charlie leaned forward, her eyes intent. “Abigail, when have you ever shied away from a risk worth taking?”

THIRTY-SEVEN

REX

I’d hopedonce I got the call about Winston being stuck in the tree, it would be my chance to finally get through to Abigail. It had been three days, and I still hadn’t heard a word from her. I couldn’t say how many times I’d picked up my phone to call or text her throughout the day then put it back down without contacting her. She’d rejected my declaration. What else could I have said? What else could I do?

While my heart was still heavy without her, I felt lighter in other ways. Donny had made amends, and now he was staying with our mom in her small apartment until he figured things out, which gave me some much-needed space. He would be okay. I’d spent more time at the station, and life felt steadier than it had since this whole charade had started.

Then my phone rang. My heart leaped when I saw the name Stone. Then it sank when I realized it was a different memberof the clan. Gabe was calling.

Trepidation shivered through me. It was the first time we’d spoken since the jail cell, making this the longest we’d gone without talking since we were in middle school. With a deep breath, I swiped to answer.

“Hello?”

“Hey, man. How’s it going?”

---